Off the Clock

Some folks find it challenging to post links on Pattern Review.  Since I spend so much time there I thought I'd do a bit of a tutorial to help those who like visuals.  Hopefully this doesn't make it even more confusing! lol First you need to get the address for where you want to link to.  I had been looking at sewing videos on Youtube so I am using that in this example.  Go to that page and copy the address information from the bar at the top of the page. Next go to your Pattern Review page where you are posting your message.  Click on the http:// button. Then paste the address into the window that opens up, being sure to remove the http:// that is already in the box.  One thing that messes some people up is that they don't remove the http:// that is already in the box when they paste in their address which leaves the address with two sets of http:// at the beginning and will end up with a "broken link"; the link won't work.   There needs ...

Alternative post title: "I Should Learn to Listen to My Mother" Not the most flattering top I've made I've made New Look 6940 before although I didn't blog it. Previously I made version B ( shown here under the cardigan ) which is quite flattering, but wanted to give view C a try with its horizontal and vertical gathers at the bust. Mom thought it looked frumpy. I thought it was a cute little summer top. What could go wrong? I guess the first problem is a fitting problem. It seems that tops with a detail focus at the bustline generally are too short on me. This is a perfect example; if I'm not constantly pulling it down the top rides up over my bust as it's starting to here. The second problem is that the soft draping on the front that I thought would be good to hide my tummy ended up just looking - oh, I don't know, frumpy? About the only redeeming quality of this top is the centre seam in the back that gives a nice shape in spite of the l...

I ALWAYS prewash my fabrics before sewing them.  I think this makes a lot of sense so that I don't literally wash away a lot of hard work through shrinkage or other laundry nastiness.  But the cardigan above?  Did NOT get prewashed. I have been having trouble sleeping and was up sewing from 3am until 9am making the first cardigan and tank top .  I had plans to go to the Bluesfest that evening and hadn't yet decided what to wear.  The forcast was for hot earlier in the evening (80's) and then cooling right off (mid 60's) so I knew I wanted to bring a cardigan or something, but the one I had just made seemed to much of a fall fabric for a summer festival.  On the other hand I had this brand new stash of knits including the beige that screamed "make me into a cardigan!" at me.  I decided I needed a nap more than I needed a new cardigan so I went to lie down.  When I got up I panicked and decided I REALLY need this new cardigan - immediately...

Even though I'm off work for three weeks vacation I haven't done a whole lot.  I did have a productive day yesterday though.  I managed to clean out my spice cupboard and my linen closet.  I know this doesn't sound like a lot but these are two things that have been nagging at me for a long time so it felt really good to get them done. As a reward I took two pairs of too-short jammie pants that were destined for the recycle pile and cut them down to jammer shorts.  I love them!  They are perfect for around the house as well as for sleeping in, and it gave me a chance to play with Jenny for a bit since I'm still trying to learn coverstitching.  I can see a few more pairs in my future.

Vogue 1204 I ended up moving the beltloops closer to the sides Well I finally did it - I finally finished my first pair of jeans.  This is Vogue 1204 , designed by Issey Miyake.  I wasn't sure which pattern to go with for my first try but I settled on this one after seeing Ruth's version  at CoreCouture.  She did a really good review of the pattern and answered some questions I had - such as do the front pockets gape when you sit down (no not really) and what is the rise (medium, not too low - the front sits about an inch below my belly button). I'm pleased with the pocket topstitching I decided to use a brown pinstriped stretch denim for the first pair so that I could focus on fit and construction without worrying about any distressing techniques. I have watched Angela Wolf's Jean Tutorial but I was still feeling nervous about this. I think I cut the fabric out almost two months ago but was having trouble getting started. I used jean topstitching ...

Edited July 12, 2014: After washing and drying this top seems to fit better than it did around the neckline.  I think I will leave it as is for now to see how it wears. New Look 6735 I'm sure you must be sick of seeing New Look 6735 but I have a couple more incarnations of it to show you. I had the sewing bug the other night and was up until 1:30 finishing up these two tops. It's funny that no matter how many times I make up this pattern I keep learning from it. That's a good thing, I'm thinkin'. So What did I learn this time around? It is amazing how much different fabrics affect the fit even though I am cutting out the exact same pattern. The first one shown above was made with a mystery knit from my stash. This was something I bought probably ten years ago and I am guessing it is just cotton. The recovery is not that great as there is no lycra in it. When I use a rayon/lycra blend I end up with a very fitted top. But the above pic shows the to...

Yes, I know I already made a dress for my graduation , but as much as I think it is ok I'm just not loving it. I just picked up some beautiful cotton weave fabric with 3% spandex that I was itching to get sewing on. The fabric was not cheap at $27 a meter (although I did get it on sale for half price and then paid for that with a gift certificate so I guess it was free lol) but in the end I have a dress that I love for much less than I would have paid for a ready-to-wear version. I think the biggest disappointment with the previous dress is that I had bought a woven suiting fabric with 3% spandex and then lined it with a woven rayon lining - zero stretch. I should have used a knit lining. So Grad Dress 2.0 didn't get lined at all. I didn't have a lot of time and I will just wear a slip with it. It's amazing how using a pattern for the second time can be so much better. I guess that's the reasoning behind making a muslin first. The pattern is already fitted and...

Me, the one who never wins anything, actually won a $100 gift certificate from my LFS. Woohoo - go me! So Mom and I went stash shopping. I ended up with fabric for four short sleeved tees, four 3/4 sleeved tees, and two dresses. Not a bad haul if I say so myself. I prewashed all the fabric and made up another version of New Look 6735 . This has become my go-to tee pattern. I love the shaped back, I think I have the neckline fine-tuned to be work-appropriate but not too high (I hate a neckline right at my neck), and I am happy with the overall fit. I have previously made this top up here and here . I'm even playing with the idea of a colour-block one for leftovers once I get through a few more of them. We will see. I used Jenny to coverstitch the hems. I did run into some problems doing the neckline. First I sewed the neck band to the top with a straight stitch on Phoebe, then tried to coverstitch to contain the raw edges on the inside. To put it bluntly I made a dog's...

After the challenge of the Bionic Gear Bag I decided I needed to do something really simple. I was straightening up the sewing room when I ran across the hamburger fabric I had bought to make bandanas for Thor. I had made the hotdog bandana as a triangle and attempted to do rolled hems. After the first side didn't turn out right I just did a three-thread overlock for the other two sides. I had thought the rolled hems didn't turn out because I didn't use wooly nylon, but later realized that I had forgotten to remove the stitch finger from Sergio. Doh! So yesterday I did the rolled hems with much better results. I took my time threading in the loose ends and using a little fray-check on them. I also made these ones as a large square to be folded in half rather than a triangle. I'm not sure which I like better but Thor doesn't seem all that impressed with either one. There's two so I may cut one into two triangles. Less fabric may not be as annoying for him. ...

The Completed Bionic Gear Bag EDIT: Link to the second bag I made almost seven years later   Well I finally finished my Bionic Gear Bag .  What can I say?  I laughed, I cried... This pattern makes a very cute bag and overall I am happy with it.  On the other hand I did run into some hiccups and perhaps my timing could have been better with purchasing this pattern.  The Bionic Gear Bag was designed by Sally AKA Ripstitcher .  She had purchased a similar pattern from Craftsy , made it, reviewed it on her blog, designed her own version that met her needs better, and put it up for sale on Craftsy.  The internets went crazy and  major drama ensued . Now I will be honest and say that the first pattern caught my eye in the first place because I saw Sally's review of it.  When I then saw the design Sally came up with I thought it would better suit my needs, so I bought it.  Unfortunately when I bought it the drama was at its height and e...

I've finally finished New Look 6643 - my Little Orchid Dress. It is far from perfect but overall I think I am satisfied with the final result. There are a number of things I would try to do differently if I make this dress again. It is possible I may rip it apart to replace the lining.  Or I may just live with it.  I think I need to wear it once to see how I really feel about it.  Here's the scoop: I'm guessing a lot of my frustration with the lining came about because I made alterations to the dress, altered the paper pattern to match, cut out the lining, then made more alterations to the dress. So the lining wasn't exactly the same as the dress by the time I went to put them together. I now need to go over my paper pattern and make all final adjustments so that next time (?) I can cut out the dress and the lining in one go. In hindsight I should have gone a size down, at least from below the darts up, the same as I do for my knit tops. I was worried that would...

The inside of the dress fully lined I haven't spent much time in the sewing room this week. Unfortunately that's becoming a trend. I actually snuck away for a few hours yesterday to try and make some progress on New Look 6643 . This simple dress has turned into a bit of a nightmare. That's because my mom suggested (rightfully so) that it would be much better if I lined it. Unfortunately I didn't put as much thought into the lining as I should have. The dress fabric is a lightweight woven suiting with 3% spandex so it has a nice little bit of give.  This allows me to make the dress a snug fit.  The lining I bought was basic lining with 0% give; minus 0 if that's possible. Not to mention super slippery and shreds like no one's business.  Not so good for a snug fit.  I considered tossing the lining but I am nothing if not stubborn. Eventually I got it put together. It's not perfect, but realistically no one else will see the flaws.  And I have to admit that...

Meet Jenny – Jenny Janome. She’s my new Coverpro 1000CPX. Yes I know, I don’t need another machine. But the truth is I haven’t really been happy with any of the hems I’ve done on my knits. I know the twin needle thing looks like a coverhem from the good side, but the threads still pull and slide back and forth. The inside of the seam leaves a lot to be desired. So I decided a “Happy Mother’s Day to me” gift was in order. Someone’s got to stimulate the local economy, right? I spent a few hours last night rearranging and organizing things in the sewing room to make room for her. My new sewing desk is getting a little crowded lol. There’s Jenny on the left, Sergio in the middle and Phoebe on the right. Betty is stashed on the shelf below Phoebe. And Gertrude is on the far right modeling New Look 6643 -in-progress. This morning I tore out the hems on two tops I’ve recently made and redone them with Jenny to take her for a test drive. This knit fabric is so thin and drapey t...